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About the Role

The Director, Total Rewards is responsible for Wawanesa's total rewards strategy across compensation, benefits, recognition, and other reward programs. This role leads the design, implementation, communication, and evolution of competitive, equitable, and sustainable programs that attract, engage, and retain talent while supporting business performance. As a strategic leader, the Director ensures programs remain competitive, sustainable, and aligned with Wawanesa's strategy.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain Wawanesa's total rewards philosophy and strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational values, performance expectations, talent priorities, and business objectives.
Design, develop, implement, and administer progressive, equitable, competitive, legally compliant, and financially viable total rewards programs that promote talent attraction, engagement, and retention.
Lead the development and implementation of recognition and reward programs that foster engagement, reinforce desired behaviors, and support Wawanesa's employee value proposition.
Lead the strategy, design, and governance of benefit plans, balancing employee needs, market practices, affordability, and long-term sustainability.
Lead the design and execution of executive compensation and sales incentive programs that support business performance and objectives.
Lead the evolution and governance of Wawanesa's job architecture, job evaluation, and job titling frameworks, ensuring transparency, consistency, fairness, scalability, and alignment with career development, workforce planning, and compensation practices.
Oversee market benchmarking, analytics, and annual merit and incentive programs, ensuring effective execution and alignment with overall total rewards strategy.
Analyze market positioning and emerging economic, legislative, and workforce trends, identifying risks and opportunities and recommending continuous evolution of total rewards programs.
Manage third-party vendors, suppliers, and consultants for compensation and benefits to ensure service quality, program effectiveness, and value for investment.

Requirements

University degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Commerce, or a related discipline; relevant compensation or total rewards certification is an asset.
A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in leadership roles in compensation or total rewards, including at least five years of executive compensation experience.
Proven experience managing compensation programs, benefit plans, recognition, incentives, job architecture, and market benchmarking within a complex organization.
Demonstrated ability to advise and influence C-suite managers and build strong relationships across the organization.
Strong business acumen and advanced analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills to assess complex issues, risks, opportunities, and impacts.
Excellent leadership, communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to lead multiple complex initiatives and build a high-performing team.
Solid understanding of compensation governance, relevant legislation, technology, analytics, and emerging total rewards practices.

Location

Winnipeg, MB
Vancouver, BC
Calgary, AB
Edmonton, AB
Toronto (North York), ON
Kitchener, ON
Ottawa, ON
Montréal, QC
Moncton, NB
Dartmouth, NS

Work Type

Hybrid

Experience Level

10+ years of progressive experience
5+ years of executive compensation experience

Education Level

University degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Commerce, or a related discipline
Relevant compensation or total rewards certification is an asset

Salary/Compensations

$135,000 - $180,000

Benefits

Annual incentive program
Supplemental plan programs
Generous vacation days
Personal days
Non-premium benefits
Pension plan

About the Company

Founded in 1896, The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company is one of Canada's largest mutual insurance companies, 100% owned by its members, with over $4.1 billion in annual revenue and $12.5 billion in assets.
Wawanesa, headquartered in Winnipeg, is the parent company of Wawanesa Life, which provides life insurance solutions across Canada, and Western Financial Group, a major national distributor of personal and business insurance.
In March 2026, Wawanesa entered into an agreement to acquire The Guarantee Company of North America to enhance its commercial insurance capabilities and advance its long-term growth strategy.
Wawanesa is proud to serve over 1.8 million members and has over 3,000 employees across Canada.
The company actively gives back to organizations that strengthen communities, donating over $4 million annually to charities, including over $2 million annually to support those on the front lines helping communities adapt to climate change.
Visit wawanesa.com to learn more.

Equal Opportunity

At Wawanesa, we are committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), and we believe our strength lies in our diverse workforce, resulting in a workforce representative of the entire population.
We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, whether they are racialized persons, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, members of the 2ELGBTQIA+ community, persons of diverse gender identities, and neurodiverse persons, or anyone who may contribute to a greater diversification of perspectives and ideas.
We want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible to all candidates. If you require accommodation during the recruitment process, you can confidently email jobs@wawanesa.com.
All applicants for employment at Wawanesa are subject to the policy that applies to employee personal information.
Please note that as part of this recruitment process, AI tools may be used to filter, assess, or select applications. All final decisions are made after review by recruiters and hiring managers, in accordance with all applicable laws.